Blank Slate
by klutzysunshine
Summary: When the ancient Inhuman leaves Grant's body while fighting the team, It leaves behind a surprise - a still alive (and traumatized) Grant Ward.


**I don't own Agents of SHIELD nor will I ever. No copyright infringement intended.**

When the creature escaped from Grant's body by dissolving into goo and disappearing, Skye dropped to her knees beside the form of the man she loved and began sobbing, picking up his hand to hold it. His wrist kept fluttering and it took her mind a few seconds to catch up what that meant. "Someone get medical!" she screamed. "Now!"

They rushed in immediately and started loading him up to transport him back to the Playground. "How?" asked a shocked Fitz.

"I want you to research everything Hydra has on It," Skye ordered before she took after Grant. She didn't want him to be alone. What the fuck was happening? She couldn't comprehend this turn of events.

Grant Ward was still alive and now they needed to figure out why.

* * *

Much to everyone's surprise, the doctors declared Grant one hundred percent healthy after a battery of tests. "Hydra's lore seems to indicate that It can sometimes resurrect a person when they de-possess them," Jemma explained to Skye. "Resurrection doesn't occur very often so I suppose Ward is one of the lucky ones." She wavered on feeling happy and disappointed that he was alive - he hadn't actually tortured her before his death so that was certainly a plus.

"Anyone touches him, they'll have to answer to me. He is under my protection." This was Grant's second chance and she wasn't about to let him waste it.

"Understood. I'll let the others know."

"And Jemma? If Coulson dares come near Ward, he'll pay." She had gotten sick after learning the truth about Grant's death from Fitz, and she didn't put it past Phil to try to kill him again. That was something Skye refused to let happen.

"I will." Jemma couldn't believe how overprotective Skye was of Grant now but she understood why. This was the man she loved, and she'd do the same if she was in her position.

Skye exhausted herself to the point she fell asleep but she jolted awake when the monitors started beeping. Grant's eyes were opened and he was staring at her with a look of fear. "Skye?"

"I"m here, Grant. It's gone - you're you again. And alive. How are you feeling?"

Much to his horror, tears welled up in Grant's eyes and he couldn't stop the sobs that burst forth. It just wasn't happening. "Skye."

"I'm right here. Let it all out. It's okay," she comforted. He ended up crying himself to sleep, something that honestly didn't surprise Skye. Grant had been through the ringer.

* * *

When Grant woke up again, he felt detached from reality, something he knew should worry him but didn't. It wasn't like before, when It bled into every inch of him and locked him up tight. "Did I kill anybody we know?" he questioned Skye, not knowing if he wanted the answer.

Skye inhaled. "A few weeks ago, It killed Lincoln while we were on a mission. And nobody blames you, Grant - the creature is entirely to blame for everything It did while in possession of your body." She missed Lincoln, of course, and mourned him, but her grief for him was nothing compared to the grief she felt over Grant's death. It made her feel guilty but she had more important things to worry about.

"I'm sorry, Skye."

"Hey, don't apologize. And you have a blank slate now. Make the most of this miraculous chance you were given."

He looked up at her at her curiously. "You're not just saying this because I died?" Grant didn't want her pity or forgiveness just because he was alive again.

She shook her head. "Of course not." Skye could see why he thought that but it was completely false.

He believed her despite every instinct telling him not to and faked a grin at her. Everything felt off, like he was there but not really experiencing life. Side-effect of the possession? "Okay."

* * *

Released from medical after being cleared the next day, Grant moved into Skye's room (she requested it and no one could tell her no, especially not him). The only caveat was that he had to wear a bracelet, just like Skye right after her betrayal was revealed to the team. "I want you to tell me if there's something wrong. Promise me, Grant Douglas Ward."

Grant sighed but even she could tell he didn't really mean it. "I promise."

She waited expectantly and then rolled her eyes when he kept quiet. "Tell me what's wrong."

He didn't really want to tell her but had no choice. "It's like I'm having an out-of-body experience? Not like before, when It controlled every part of me, but I can't quite grasp what I felt before."

Skye bit her lip in worry. "We'll figure it out. You can't exactly return to your normal self after death and possession, right?"

Grant nodded. "Right."

"So we're not going to worry about it just yet." Stroking his palm with her finger, she beamed up at Grant and then leaned over for a kiss.

He moaned into it happily and then reluctantly pulled away, happiness bubbling up. "Well, apparently I'm not completely detached from reality."

"I'm glad. But you're not ready for anything yet so we'll take this slow. You in agreement about that?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." She kissed him again and then pulled him in closer to her as they started to fall asleep.

Neither of them were surprised when he woke up screaming from a nightmare. It took forever to calm Grant down but she eventually succeeded.

* * *

Grant ventured out into the common area three days later, holding Skye's hand for support. Surprising both of them, Bobbi showed up first and sat down next to him. "I can't forgive you but you have a new lease on life now, Ward. I want to get to know the new you instead of the man you were before."

"I am sorry for torturing you, Morse. No matter what you did, you didn't deserve that," he whispered.

"Apology accepted. And I'm also sorry for selling Kara out. She didn't deserve it either."

Grateful that something had gone right, Skye briefly let go of Grant's hand to pull Bobbi in for a hug.

To say Grant was startled when Fitz sneaked up behind them was an understatement - the former specialist literally jumped a few feet and cringed in fear. Any other time, Fitz would have found it amusing but now he was horrified. "I'm sorry," he apologized over and over again.

"Fitz, it's okay. You didn't know. Sneaking up on him is apparently out of the question now," Skye told him as she tried to calm down the trembling Grant. "Grant, it's just Fitz. He wants to talk to you. Are you up for that?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to talk. Or we could watch a movie. That should be fun." Fitz tried desperately to stay positive and calm down the still shaking Grant.

Skye kept her hand on his leg until he gradually calmed down. And much to his amazement, the fear sparked something in him - he didn't feel quite so detached from reality. "I think maybe that actually helped a little? The world's back in focus a little more."

This whole post-possession resurrection thing confused all of them but it was a plus that emotions seemed to be sparking something inside Grant. "Well I don't think anyone wants to scare the shit out of you again so that's out. We need something else." Bobbi needed to do some research now because the curiosity was killing her.

Skye kissed him again. "That do anything?" she checked.

The smile on his face lit up the whole room even though Fitz was rolling his eyes at them. "Come on, you two have an audience!" he whined. He didn't mind too much, though. If Grant could find some small measure of happiness he needed to cling to it.

"Deal with it!" Skye playfully shot back.

She wanted to take their relationship slow but Skye couldn't wait anymore. That night as they laid in bed - Grant in her arms again (he seemed to seek out comfort from her now, which she was all too happy to give) - she decided to tell him the truth. "I am so in love with you."

Grant's eyes widened as he looked up at her. "I'm in love with you too. You mean everything to me, Skye."

"Glad we're on the same page then." She kissed him again but stopped before it could go any further - they still needed to take this relationship slow.

* * *

Skye ran into Phil the next morning as she headed to the gym (the only reason she left Grant alone was because Fitz offered to stay with him - he didn't like being alone for too long or else he started to panic) and glared at him. "We need to talk."

"What is there to talk about, Director? You made your feelings clear and I'm not changing my mind either." She didn't know if she could ever forgive him.

"You know exactly why I did it and I have no regrets, Skye." That was a lie and she could see right through them.

She wanted to explode and neither of them were surprised when the ground vibrated below them. "Permission to speak freely?"

"Of course."

"Will all due respect, Director Coulson, go fuck yourself." And then she stalked away, the floor shaking the entire time.

* * *

Melinda caught them off guard in the kitchen while they were there to grab breakfast. "You two seem pretty cozy."

"We're taking this one day at a time, May."

Grant spoke up hesitantly, actually raising his hand. "I"m sorry for everything I did to you and Andrew."

"Apology not accepted. I can only hope we're not making a mistake allowing you to stay here."

"You aren't." Now that he could see things more clearly again (Skye and Jemma were hunting down a psychologist for him because he definitely needed help), Grant didn't want to repeat his past mistakes.

"Then prove it to me." Melinda smiled and then left them alone.

* * *

The nightmares jolted Grant so badly that night that he actually curled up in a ball in the corner and refused to return to the bed. "I can see myself killing all those innocent people," he wept.

"It may have been your body but it wasn't you. We've been through this before," Skye tried to soothe. Her breath hitched and she wanted to hit herself for falling apart on him now.

Fortunately for them, Fitz responded to the text she quickly shot off to him and showed up faster than expected, out of breath. "I ran here. Hey, Grant. You look unwell."

"Please don't come near me. I'm going to hurt you."

"You're not going to hurt either of us, Grant. You're not It. And you did the best under the circumstances on the plane when you dropped us in the ocean. Jemma and I realize that now."

Skye and Fitz were both caught off guard when he opened his arms and pulled the two of them in for a hug. "Please don't leave. Please. I'm sorry. Please don't leave me."

"No one's leaving you, baby. We're staying right here." Skye had to look the other way to hide her tears until she pulled herself together.

The three of them stayed on the floor that night.

* * *

Phil burst into the room at the crack of dawn, which didn't help very much with calming down Grant. "We have a problem. It's back."

Grant froze and he nearly started hyperventilating but Skye and Fitz kept him grounded when they refused to let go. "And how do you know?" Skye questioned, careful not to freak her boyfriend out even more.

"There's a trail of bodies that fits It's MO. This is worse than we thought."

"Please don't let It get me again. Please, please, please, please, please," Grant begged over and over again.

"We're not letting It hurt you again, Grant. You have nothing to worry about. But I think somebody needs to sit this out and stay with you because there's no way you're going to be fighting." Skye wanted to kill It for good but she also didn't want to leave Grant's side.

"I'll stay." Fitz was perfectly content staying out of harm's way and keeping Grant company while everyone else fought.

"Don't leave me, Skye. Please don't leave me. Please." Any other time, Grant would have hated himself for falling apart at a time like this but he was past the point of giving a fuck. He had been completely broken and it would take him a long time to recover - if he could at all.

Skye choked back tears. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right with you and we'll both be safe. Fitz can create the protection circle and no one can get to us in this room."

Phil was disgusted himself after seeing what Grant had been reduced to. "For what it's worth, I am sorry. Nothing I do or say will ever make up for my actions. I turned into everything I hated and there's no excuse for that."

"Thanks, AC. We'll talk about it later but that means a lot." Skye smiled reassuringly at him before turning her attention back to Grant.

FItz patted Grant's shoulder before going to gather the supplies for the protection circle while the others prepared for battle. It was heading straight for them, no doubt about it.

"I know not everyone will forgive me but I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to make up for my actions," Grant told Skye once they were left alone.

"I know you will. And for what it's worth, I do understand you. Just took me a long time to get to this point."

Grant pulled Skye into his lap and brushed his lips against her. "Love you."

"I know."

He pulled back to stare at her and laughed. "Did you just Star Wars me?"

"Yeah. What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing."

And for once, they finally got to pretend the outside world didn't exist.

It showed up with an hour and put up one hell of a fight but was no match for the team, especially since Jemma had finally discovered a spell that would kill It for good. They were all left with some injuries but came out of the battle victorious. And for the first time since he woke up with a new lease in life, Grant felt safe. And in time, he'd be able to redeem himself and reclaim who he had been before Hydra fell - who he always wanted to be. And Skye's Secret Warriors team soon began kicking ass and taking names. All in all, they were finally happy.


End file.
